At Home Workout Plans for Couples: Stay Fit & Stay Close

With the New Year coming up, you and your partner may want to consider making a resolution to begin exercising daily, exercising more, or spending more quality time together. Working out as a couple could help you achieve all of these goals. Couples’ training can offer a variety of benefits such as having another person to motivate and push you past your limits, spending time with your significant other, and having a personal spotter and stretcher!

To begin, here are a few strength exercises that you can do with your partner at home:

1. Hook Squats (targets glutes)
-This exercise requires exertion from both individuals. If one person stops, the entire exercise fails.
-Stand back to back with your partner and slowly squat down, making sure that your knees do not go over your toes.
-Holding this position will be challenging, but if you want to take it up a level, slowly move in a circle while remaining in the squat position.
-Once one rotation has been completed, rest for a few seconds and go the other directions. Do 3 sets.

2. Alternating Box Jumps (targets quadriceps and hamstrings)
-Place a 6 to 10-inch box between you and your partner.
-Take turns jumping onto the box and landing in a squat position.
-Each partner can do 10-20 jumps for a total of 3 sets.
-If you want to increase the difficulty, hold light weights in each hand.

3. Partner Pyramid Push-Ups (targets arms, triceps, biceps, chest, and core)
-Decide how far up and down the pyramid you and your partner want to go.
-Each partner begins in a push-up position.
-For example, if you choose 5, Person A will do 1 pushup, and Person B will answer by doing 1 push-up.
-Then Person A will do 2 push-ups, and Person B will do 2 push-ups, repeating this pattern until you have each completed 5 push-ups.
-Once you have each completed 5 push-ups, come back down the pyramid, so you will each do 4, then 3, 2, and 1 push-up.

If you’re looking for a more relaxing workout, yoga might be more your speed. There are countless benefits of practicing yoga, but when you do yoga with a partner, studies show that communication and levels of trust improve. Try these couples’ poses:

1. Half Lord of the Fishes Pose
-Sit in a cross-legged, seated position with your back up against your partner’s.
-Inhale, twist to the right, and place your hand on your partner’s thigh, knee, or shin.
-Then with every inhale, try to lengthen your reach and find more space. With each exhale, try to twist deeper.
-Work towards synchronizing your breathing with your partner’s.

2. Assisted Backbend
-Stand back to back with your partner and hook elbows.
-One partner, the base, bends their knees and begins to lean forward, while the other partner, the flier, leans back, lifting his or her feet off of the floor.
-The base has to lean forward enough for the flier to comfortably have his or her feet off of the floor.
-Hold this pose for a few seconds and then the base slowly bends the knees until the flier’s feet return to the ground.

3. Back Bird Pose
-The base lies on the ground with knees bent and feet flat on the floor while the flier stands near the feet of the base.
-The base has to place his or her feet on the flier’s lower back with heels resting on the glutes.
-The flier leans back, allowing the base to grab onto the shoulders.
-The flier lifts the feet off of the ground at the same time.

Both types of exercises (strengthening and yoga) have a variety of benefits for both partners when done together. Working out with another person helps to motivate, inspire, and work harder – all of which are necessary to be successful in your workout venture.